


Astray

by DarthLivion (DistantShenanigans)



Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Character Study, Family Feels, Fluff and Humor, Found Family, Gen, M/M, Nautolan study, Nonbinary Species, Slow Burn, Trans Female Character, Trans Male Character, nautolans are merpeople
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-11
Updated: 2017-05-13
Packaged: 2018-10-30 16:56:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,067
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10881045
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DistantShenanigans/pseuds/DarthLivion
Summary: Learning to live on land was harder than anyone would know, and Kit learns the hard way.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> some gratuitous plugs for Nautila.
> 
> Italics are people speaking in Nautila

Kit observed things quietly, as he tended to do when others entered the open waters of Glee Anselm, when they went out with their pipa to find food for dinner. Most of those who came into the waters were Anselmi looking for food, but some were humans who had established trade with the Nautolans who chose to live on land. Anselmi tended to not like that, and so few have kept in contact since then, likely because of death. Regardless, they tended to avoid those who came into the waters, if only for self preservation. Still, this one seemed different. It felt... off.

They were barely five standard years, or so their mumma often said, and their little sibling was barely two standard. They loved the younger tadpole deeply, and was hoping to have their name be the first one they said, even if Mumma and Pipa were hoping for them to say, well, _mumma or pipa._

The person who entered the waters caught Kit's attention again, and they watched closely. They weren't an Anselmi, nor a human, and Kit had never met anyone other than those two species, outside of his own. They glanced at their pipa, and saw him speaking with another hunter, and Kit looked back towards the alien.

They swam closer, curious, as their fin cut through the water to take them up closer to the surface.

The creature's head was huge, and looked pointy, so very much unlike humans or Anselmi, and Kit swam faster.

They never met someone like that before.

Kit caught the alien off guard, it seemed, as they looked at the small Nautolan in surprise. Kit smiled brightly at them, and waved at them, their webbed fingers brushing through the water as if it were nothing. The creature turned back to the surface and swam up.

Well that was rude.

Kit swam after them, and reached out to grab their leg, only to be snatched and pulled away.

“ _Kit, no!_ ” Their pipa snarled, “ _You stay away from the land-walkers!_ ”

“ _But Pipa, they had a funny head! They wasn't Anselmi_ **_or_ ** _human!_ ”

“ _It doesn't matter!_ ” Pipa snarled, “ _Stay away from them!_ ”

“ _Aww, but Pipaaaaa!_ ” Kit whined. Their pipa ignored their cries and whines, and when they returned to their pod, mumma was teaching Kat how to count.

“ _You're back so soon?_ ” Mumma asked, looking over with concern.

“ _Your tadpole was swimming towards a land-walker!_ ” Pipa hissed, and Mumma's eyes widened.

“ _Kit, you know better!_ ” She scolded, “ _Go to your room while Pipa and I discuss your punishment!_ ”

“ _But Mumma they weren't-_ ”

“ _Go!_ ” At her sharp tone, they whined, but swam to the room they shared with Kat.

They sat for what felt like forever, but was only half an hour. They shifted, his still-developing headtresses sensing the pheromones of someone new. Curious, they moved towards the opening of their room that led to the rest of their pod, and peeked out towards the family room.

“What brings a zhedii here?” Their mumma spoke in a strange language, save for the word for _Jedi_ , and Kit felt their three hearts pound in their chest.

What would a Jedi be doing on Glee Anselm? In their _home_?

“I saw a child earlier, one who was Force-sensitive,” the Jedi said, “I followed their presence in the Force to this home.” It was silent for a while, and Kit knew the Jedi had said something very important. They heard movement, and gasped, before swimming back to their nest and bundled up in their kelp.

“ _Tadpole._ ” It was Pipa, and Kit looked out from their kelp blankets.

“ _Yes, Pipa?_ ” They asked.

“ _Come on, to the family room._ ” Kit followed their pipa, and grinned as Kat shrieked in delight and swam clumsily towards them.

“Oona! Oona!” Kat laughed, and Kit laughed and hugged their sibling.

“ _Hi,_ Oona!” Kit giggled, before Mumma cleared her throat. They both looked up, and Kat pressed closer to Kit.

“Mumma? Pipa?” Kit asked.

“ _Tadpole, this is Ki-Adi Mundi, he is a Jedi Knight._ ” Mumma told them, “ _He says you are Force-sensitive._ ” Kit’s eyes widened.

“ _Really?!_ ”

“ _Yes, tadpole, and by law, you are to be given up to the care of the Jedi,_ ” Pipa said, and Kit felt their three hearts stop.

“ _And I can come visit you?_ ” They asked. Mumma looked up at the Jedi, and Kit knew she was asking him about that. At her crushed look, and their pipa’s stoic expression, Kit knew they would not see them again, not anytime soon, at least, if they went with the Jedi.

“ _Kit, my child, you cannot visit us._ ” Pipa’s voice was flat, and while Kit knew their pipa hadn’t been as loving as most other parents, Kit would still miss him.

“ _No! I don’t want to go!_ ” They cried, clinging to Kat more. Kat, hearing their cries and sensing their distress, began wailing their hearts out.

“ _Kit, hush!_ ” Mumma scolded, “ _You must go!_ ” She grabbed Kat, and tugged them away.

“ _No! No no no!_ ” Kit reached for Kat, going to swim to their little sibling, only for Pipa to grab them roughly by the arm.

“ _That is enough!_ ” He snarled, and Kit quieted. “ _Say goodbye like a fauntling and go with the Jedi._ ” Kit sniffled, but waved goodbye to their mumma and Kat, who cried more and reached for them. Pipa snatched them up swam with the Jedi, Kit still in his arms. When they reached the surface, Pipa handed them over to the Jedi, who frowned and spoke to their pipa. Pipa growled, but returned to the waters, even as Kit whimpered. The Jedi held them close, and carried them towards a small ship. They were taken up the ramp, and Kit saw more aliens, before they were taken to a small room with a cold-looking nest.

The Jedi said something, but Kit merely stared up at him, before they were left alone in the room.

They began wailing again, knowing that within the next day, their tail would change, and split apart, and they would have legs, instead.

When they happened, there would be no going back, and they would never see their family again. They would never see Kat again.

They cried until they fell asleep.

=0=0=0=

When Kit woke up, they were hungry and their legs were throbbing. They had never had dinner before Pipa handed him over to the Jedi. They curled up, hugging themselves, and started to cry again.

They quieted when the Jedi entered the room, not a full five minutes later. They sniffled and hiccupped as the Jedi wrapped a strange blanket around them. The Jedi pulled them into his lap, and Kit would have struggled, if not for the throbbing turning into a sharp pain running along their tail. The crying began again, their cries echoing around the room. The Jedi seemed distressed, and that only served to make Kit cry more. Why was the Jedi worried? Something must be wrong, on top of everything else.

They quieted after an hour, and the Jedi wrapped them up in a spare cloak, before carrying them out of the room. Sniffling, Kit looked around, curious as to where they were being taken. It turned out, they were being taken to the eating area, and there were several more aliens on board. Kit gasped and turned into the Jedi, burying their face into his neck.

Something was pressed towards their face, and up to their mouth. Kit scrunched their nose at that; it certainly wasn’t fish, but they were hungry, and this seemed to be the only option they had.

They grabbed the food, and pulled it back, looking at it. It was round, and fuzzy, and bright green. Looking at another alien, they found that they were eating the same thing. They looked back at it, before taking a small bite.

They spit it out.

“ _Yuck!_ ” Their nose scrunched, and a few of the aliens laughed. Looking up at the Jedi, the man seemed surprised. “ _Yuck!_ ” They pushed the odd food at the Jedi, even as the gross flavour remained on their tongue.

“Looks like we got a picky eater on our hands, eh?” Kit looked at the alien who spoke, face scrunching in confusion.

“ _Don’t mind him, tadpole._ ” Kit whirled around, finding a tall Nautolan standing nearby with a soft smile. “ _Is Knight Mundi caring for you well?_ ” Kit spied the Nautolan’s lightsaber, and knew they were a Jedi too.

“ _My tail hurts, Master Jedi!_ ” Kit reached over to the Nautolan, who approached and patted their head gently.

“ _I know, tadpole. It’s merely your tail changing to legs,_ ” They said, “ _I am Master Janori._ ”

“ _What do I use for you?_ ” Kit asked. Janori smiled.

“ _Female pronouns, tadpole,_ ” The blue Nautolan replied, “ _Thank you for asking._ ”

“ _Miss Janori, they gave me weird food!_ ” Janori laughed gently.

“ _I know, tadpole, but that is all we have for now. Ki-Adi told me you had not eaten when your parents handed you over to his custody._ ”

“ _It’s yucky!_ ” Kit cried. Janori tweaked his nose, smiling at him.

“ _Tell me how your mouth feels, infant._ ”

“ _It’s itchy!_ ” Kit said, “ _My tongue is itchy!_ ” Janori frowned, and spoke to the aliens. Kit was jolted as the Jedi, Ki-Adi Mundi she said???, stood quickly and carried them towards another area of the ship.

Kit may have been young, but they knew a healer when they saw one, and went limp the moment the healer scooped them up. They were settled on the healing rock, and the healer wiped their arm, before injecting a needle and giving them a cup of water. Kit drank to cup, their small tail smacking against the table, and they scrunched their nose at the pain of it.

“ _It hurts!_ ” They said, pointing to their tail. As they said it, Janori walked in.

“ _I know, Little One, but we cannot help that. Pain medicine does not work for the pain of a splitting tail._ ” She ran her webbed fingers through their head-tresses, and they leaned into it, a small purr leaving them. Janori smiled, and spoke to Ki-Adi and the healer.

Kit was carried off by Janori not even ten minutes later, when they confirmed their mouth no longer itched, but the pain in their tail was worsening.

They wailed when the ship was silent and still, as the others slept, feeling their tail slowly tear and fall apart. Janori held them, rocking them as they screamed and cried, until they were overloaded from the pain and exhaustion, passing out into sleep.

=0=0=0=

When Kit woke up, legs and feet were where their tail should be, and they sniffled, beginning to cry at the loss. They could never go home, now, and they probably won’t ever swim again. Janori woke up quickly, and held them close, rocking them again and singing softly in their native tongue.

“ _You’re alright now, tadpole,_ ” Janori said, when they quieted. The lullaby had reminded them of when Mumma would sing to them and Kat, and it reminded them of what Pipa had told them.

They needed to be a big fauntling, and big fauntlings didn’t cry. That’s what Pipa had always told them, and they had been doing a bad job of that. They had been crying a lot since Pipa had handed them over to Ki-Adi, and they needed to be better than that.

“ _How do you feel, tadpole?_ ” Janori asked. Kit sniffed, shrugging.

“ _I’m hungry._ ” It was the easiest thing to identify at the moment, between the pain in their legs and feet, and the queasiness in their stomach as it begged for food. Janori pressed a soft kiss to their head-tresses.

“ _Then let’s go find you something to eat._ ” The Jedi Master stood up, and kept them in her arms. Kit laid their head on her shoulder, and she carried them out of the room.

Ki-Adi was with a Human fauntling, who was giggling at something Ki-Adi was saying to them. Kit saw a small braid running over their shoulder, and the lightsaber at their hip. They must be learning to be a Jedi.

Kit was settled in a chair at the table, next to the Human, and the older fauntling smiled at them.

“ _Tadpole, this is Padawan Amelie, she is my padawan and will be with you when I cannot be._ ” Kit frowned at that, but Janori merely turned to the Human, spoke in what Kit assumed was the Galactic Basic, and left with Ki-Adi.

“ _Hi!_ ” Amelie piped up, and Kit jumped, turning to the Human with wide eyes. Amelie giggled at that. “ _Master Janori is teaching me Nautila, so I can help you when she can’t! I’m Amelie!_ ” Kit was quiet a moment, biting their lip.

“ _I’m Kit Fisto…_ ” They murmured, and Amelie nodded.

“ _It’s nice to meet you, Kit! Here, have some of my porridge!_ ” Amelie shared her porridge with them, and while they found the texture to be strange, it wasn’t making their mouth itch, and it eased their grumbling tummy. From there, she helped Kit learned to use their legs, coaxing them to climb off the chair they were in, and held their hands and walked backwards to help Kit take their first steps.

Kit knew Miss Janori and Ki-Adi were watching them, along with some of the crew, but they didn’t care, since Amelie was nice, and making sure they didn’t fall down. They walked the length of the room with Amelie keeping them steady, before they did it on their own to the other side of it.

They stumbled at the end, but Ki-Adi caught them, and lifted them up into their arms with a grin, talking to them.

“ _You did such a good job, tadpole!_ ” Janori praised, and Amelie laughed.

“ _Good job, Kit!_ ” She cried, and Kit couldn’t stop themself from grinning at the praise they were receiving.

They would miss Mumma and Pipa and Kat, but maybe being with the Jedi wouldn’t be so bad after all?


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kit joins the Creche

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Vokara is a canon character, a twi'lek, and was the Chief Healer, I believe, during The Clone Wars. That's what I remember from the wookiepedia, anyways.
> 
> Again, full sentences spoken in italics is Nautila.
> 
> Take note, I'm basing Kit learning Basic off of me learning foreign languages. If ya'll have a better way, feel free to suggest it.

It didn’t seem like it was long before Kit found themselves in front of the whole Jedi Council, standing next to Ki-Adi, and clinging to his legs to keep themselves upright. They were frightened, with several of the council members tall and stern, and Kit couldn’t feel _anything_ from them, not with their head-tresses, and how could that _not_ be frightening?

They still didn’t really know Basic, even if Miss Janori and Amelie had been teaching them, and the Council spoke a _lot_ in the Galactic Basic.

“Frightened, you are,” The small green Jedi said. That was Yoda, Amelie had told them before. Kit nodded, understanding ‘you’ and ‘frightened’. Amelie had said that Yoda spoke in funny sentences, and now Kit understood what she had meant.

“ _Wouldn’t you be?_ ” They asked, “ _In front of big strangers who don’t feel anything?_ ” It was quiet a moment, as a Nautolan on the council translated for them.

“They are right,” said the Nautolan council member. “We are doing a very poor job of welcoming this fauntling into our Order.”

“She’s not part of our order yet,” Another council member said, and Kit recoiled at the sudden gendered pronoun. The Nautolan glared at them.

“ _They_ are of my species, _Eroll_ ,” The Nautolan stated, and the council member frowned.

“My apologies, Dynah, but you and I both know that not everyone will respect that. Children can be cruel.”

“And if the crew of the ship we were on can get their pronouns right, then so can the children. I think you’ll be surprised,” said Miss Janori, from where she stood with Amelie. “My padawan did an admirable job of not misgendering Kit, and as such, _every_ Nautolan that comes into the Order should expect the same from the _adults_.”

“Correct, you are, Master Janori.” Yoda nodded. “No gender, this youngling has. Respected, that shall be, from _everyone_.”

“The fact remains is that this child fears us,” Another councilor said.

“They were raised with their family,” said a fifth council member. “It is to be expected that they don’t know the ways in which those with us since infancy do.”

Kit was picking up bits and pieces of their conversation, and reached up to grab Ki-Adi’s hand. The knight looked down at them, and smiled. They felt better at the small reassurance, but still wanted a better comfort, and reached up to him to be held.

“ _Fauntling._ ” Kit looked back to where the Nautolan Councilor had spoken. They had called them Dynah, right? “ _It has been decided you will join other fauntlings your age in our creche, but first we need to have you be seen by the healers for a check up._ ” Kit nodded as Ki-Adi lifted them up, despite the frowns the other Jedi gave the Knight.

They were carried to the healers, with Dynah walking with them. Miss Janori and Amelie didn’t come, and Kit frowned, watching them over Ki-Adi’s shoulder as they left the council room. They were settled on another healing rock, and listened as Ki-Adi told the healer about their travels, and noted how horrified Dynah looked at one point.

“ _Fauntling, you come from the waters?_ ” Dynah asked, and Kit nodded.

“ _Yes, master,_ ” they said, and Dynah muttered under their breath. “ _Master, what do I use for you?_ ” That brought a smile to Dynah’s purple face.

“ _He, fauntling._ ” Kit nodded in response, and looked down at their feet.

“ _What are the stubby things?_ ” They asked, and Dynah laughed.

“They are toes, fauntling. Have you not met land-walkers before now?” The councilor seemed more amused than horrified, now.

“No,” Kit shook their head, using Basic for the fourth time. “What toes do?”

“What do toes do.” Ki-Adi corrected them, albeit gently, and Kit nodded. It was a system Miss Janori had insisted the crew do, when Kit picked up Basic words and started using the language: correct them gently with the proper sentence, and then have them repeat it.

“What do toes do?” Kit asked, and the healer, another strange alien, looked between them, confused.

“Am I missing something?” They asked.

“Padawan Vokara, this is Kit Fisto,” Ki-Adi said, “They are a Nautolan from the waters of Glee Anselm, unlike Master Dynah and Master Janori.”

“Nautolans born on land have legs,” Dynah explained, “Those born in water… have tails.”

“Tails?” Vokara asked.

“Yes, tails. I believe the Humans have a mythos about it, on Naboo. I believe they called them… mermaids?” Dynah looked to Ki-Adi for confirmation. The young knight merely shrugged, clearly unknowing on that topic.

“Ah, yes. My master often tells me about the mythos of all creatures. Apparently mermaids started because centuries ago, someone visited Glee Anselm and then came back to babble on about-” Vokara paused, and looked at Kit with wide eyes. “ _Oh_ , they’re real?” Kit, in the meantime, was still studying their feet and toes, holding one foot in their hands and pressed up to their face.

“Very much so. Vokara, I must ask you keep this secret,” Dynah said, “The fauntling has been through so much; being questioned about their transfer from the waters to land will do nothing but upset them, let alone that many hunt the mers in the water, when they find out.”

“My toes got webs like my fingers!” Kit cried, looking up at Ki-Adi with a grin. Ki-Adi grinned back at them.

“Well, I suppose it’s to help you swim when you go back into water!” Kit’s grin shifted, and their expression turned to awe.

“I can go back?” They asked.

“To the water? Yes, one day. For now, you’ll be admitted to the creche and learn like other Jedi Initiates,” said Dynah. Kit smiled, and nodded.

The check up with Vokara went rather well. For all that happened during the trip, Kit was healthy as could be. Ki-Adi took them to the creche afterwards, and they were given clothes to wear, as well as shoes. Now _that_ had been an amusing argument, between a small Nautolan fauntling and a fully grown Jedi Knight, about the merits and functionality of shoes.

The creche master looked at the Knight in horror when Ki-Adi gave up, letting the five year old stay barefoot.

“What? They made a valid point.” Ki-Adi pointed out, raising an eyebrow as Kit was approached by a small fauntling that was around their age.

“Hi!” The child grinned at them. “I’m Quinlan Vos! Wanna play with me?” Kit blinked at the abrupt offer, before turning to look up at the creche master and Ki-Adi.

“Can go play?” Kit asked.

“Can I go play,” Ki-Adi corrected, and Kit nodded.

“Can I go play?” They repeated. The creche master sighed.

“Quinlan, make sure they do not step on anything, since they are insistent on going barefoot.” Quinlan smiled and nodded.

“Yes, Master Myra!” The Twi’lek smiled at the two fauntlings, and Quinlan took Kit’s hand and dragged them off. Kit was led to a group of younglings, and Quinlan grinned at Kit.

“These are my friends! That’s Anita, and that’s Aeden, and that’s Dyren, and that’s Soren!” Quinlan introduced.

“I’m Kit…”

“Cool!” One of the kids, Anita? Or what that Aedan?, smiled at them. “I’m Soren! Dyren is Ithorian, so don’t feel bad if you don’t understand’im!” The fauntling was taller than Kit, and had a kind smile.

Soren had brown skin, bright indigo eyes, a scaled cranium, and there were fleshy white tendrils that sprouted from their skullcap on their head. Dyren had dark red skin, and blue eyes with yellow pupils. There was no translator connected to the taller child, and Kit thought both of the other children were pretty.

“I’m Anita,” the fauntling with small horns poking from their head said, smiling. “I’m a Zabrak, and Soren’s a Tholothian.”

“I’m Aedan,” Aedan looked similar to Quinlan, and both looked human, in Kit’s opinion.

“Oh, are we telling him our species?” Quinlan asked, before grinning. “I’m a Kiffar!”

“I’m human,” Aedan said, “You’re a Nautolan like Master Dynah and Master Janori, right?” Kit nodded, a confused look on their face.

“What is different?” Kit asked, looking between Aedan and Quinlan. Both had tannish-brown skin, and brown eyes. The only difference was that Aedan had brown hair, and Quinlan had black hair, and Kit only knew what hair even was because of Ki-Adi and Amelie. Regardless, them and Anita were pretty, too.

“A Kiffar has different colour blood than humans. Probably other stuff too, but we dunno yet.” The Kiffar told Kit. “I’m sure we’ll learn when we hit puberty.” Quinlan snickered, and Kit blinked.

“Puberty?”

“Quinlan, _don’t_ teach the new kid about that stuff!” Anita scowled, and Kit just looked at the kids in confusion.

“What do I use for you?” They asked, and the kids looked at them.

“Huh?” They all asked, though Dyren had more a chittering noise come from them, instead of a word in Basic.

“They? She? He?” Kit asked, confused.

“Oh! Pronouns!” Aedan cried, “Remember guys? Nautolans and Anselmi are basically non-binary until adulthood, when they announce what their gender is, if they have any!”

“Really?” Quinlan asked, startled.

“Do you _ever_ pay attention when Master Dynah teaches us about other species?” Anita scowled.

“Nope!” Quinlan grinned, before looking at Kit. “It’s nice that you asked, but if what Aedan said’s true, why ask us kids?” Kit frowned.

“Amelie said I have to.” They admitted.

“Oh, well, that’s cool. Anyways, I’m a boy, so I use he.” Quinlan said.

“Me, Dyren, and Soren are boys too,” Aedan said.

“I’m a girl,” Anita said, “What should we use for you?” Kit bit their lip.

“Not girl,” They said.

“So a boy?” Quinlan asked. Kit winced a bit, and Quinlan grinned. “Not a boy either, then. Cool, we’ll get used to it!”

“Yeah, don’t worry about it, Kit!” Anita grinned.

“Come on, we got twenty minutes left of play time! Let’s play Jedi and Bounty Hunters!” Quinlan said, and Kit wondered how the other knew how they had twenty minutes. Regardless, they were distracted by Anita staking claim on them as a Jedi, and took Soren for their team as well. Quinlan took Dyren and Aedan, and Dyren chittered happily, pointing at the two teams.

“Hey! We are even now!” Soren said, eyes lighting up.

“Sweet!” Quinlan and Aedan shared a high five, before Anita helped the two construct a story line for their game.

Kit laughed the whole time.

**Author's Note:**

> please feel free to come talk to me on [Tumblr!](http://aerefyr.tumblr.com)


End file.
